The present invention relates to a carrier plate, and especially to a carrier plate for forming a plug contact of an electrical connector.
A known carrier plate for forming a plug contact of an electrical connector assembly is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Carriers 5, 5' are provided at opposite ends of the contacts 6 proximate soldering portions 61 and mating portions 62 of the contacts 6, respectively. Dotted lines indicate where the carriers 5, 5' are to be separated from the contacts 6. To facilitate separation of the carrier 5' from the contacts 6, small grooves 7 are provided at the border between each contact 6 and the carrier 5'. Thus, the contacts are not securely contacted to the carrier 5' and may become inadvertently separated therefrom when an external force is exerted thereon.
When the carrier 5' is separated from the contacts 6, a burr 64 will be formed at a free end of the soldering portion 61 which may hinder insertion of the soldering portion 61 into a hole defined in a PC board (not shown). Additionally, the PC board may become damaged during insertion of the soldering portion 61 into the hole of the PC board. Moreover, since the carrier 5 is proximate the mating portion 62, the plating operation of the mating portions 62 becomes difficult and the region where the carrier 5 is separated from the contact 6 may become improperly deformed thereby deforming the shape of the mating portions 62 and adversely affecting the electrical capabilities thereof. Furthermore, each mating portion 62 comprises two symmetrical parts to be aligned with each other by means of a bending process. However, the two parts may become offset from each other thereby compromising the quality thereof.